Research Fellow at the Centre for Comparative Social Research

Dr. Benjamin Isakhan is Research Fellow at the Centre for Comparative Social Research, part of the Faculty of Arts and Education at Deakin University, Australia. Previously, Dr. Isakhan has been a Research Fellow with the Centre for Dialogue at La Trobe University and a Research Fellow and Lecturer for the Griffith Islamic Research Unit, part of the National Centre of Excellence for Islamic Studies, Australia.

Dr. Bent NÃ¸rby Bonde is an experienced manager and strategic developer of conflict prevention and peacebuilding programs. Since 2003 he has been the director of Media Progress, a European consultancy firm dedicated to integrating media and ICT strategies into projects seeking to promote development, democracy and good governance.

Professor Bernard Haykel is a professor of Near Eastern Studies at Princeton University, specializing in the study of the politics and history of the Middle East, particularly Islamic political movements and law.

Bill Ury is chairman of the Abraham Path Initiative, a project which seeks to create unity between faiths through creating a permanent path of tourism and pilgrimage in the Middle East that retraces the footsteps of Abraham, the unifying figure in the three Abrahamic faiths, Judaism, Christianity and Islam. He is also the co-founder of Harvard Law School’s Program on Negotiation, where he currently directs the Global Negotiation Project.

Dr. Carool Kersten’s is a lecturer in Islamic Studies at King’s College London. His areas of expertise include contemporary Islam and current affairs in the Muslim world, Islam in Southeast Asia and modern Muslim thought. He has a particular interest in liberal Islam, alternative Islamic discourses and the work of progressive Muslim intellectuals.

Former Director for European Affairs, U.S. National Security Council

Dr. Charles Kupchan is former Director for European Affairs on the U.S. National Security Council. He is currently Professor of International Affairs at Georgetown University, and Senior Fellow at the Council on Foreign Relations.